The 2012 edition of Black Firstsis an important collection of black triumphs.

4. First Class: The Legacy of Dunbar, America's First Black Public High School, by Alison Stewart

Courtesy Alison Stewart

Washington, D.C.’s Dunbar High School was the training ground for many prominent 20th-century black leaders. Released in 2013, Stewart’s book is an important look into the school that defied the odds.

5. Annie Allen, by Gwendolyn Brooks

Wikipedia Commons

Chicago-born poet and writer Gwendolyn Brooks became the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize for poetry with her 1950 collection, Annie Allen.

6. American Grown: The Story of the White House Kitchen Garden and Gardens Across America, by Michelle Obama

In 2012’s American Grown, America’s first black first lady, Michelle Obama, gives the public an inside look at the White House kitchen and garden.

Wikipedia Commons

7. On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker, by A'Lelia Bundles

Courtesy of A'Lelia Bundles

Madam C.J. Walker worked her way up from washerwoman to become America’s first self-made female millionaire. 2002’s On Her Own Ground, written by Walker’s great-great-granddaughter, recounts her success story.

8. Through My Eyes, by Ruby Bridges

Scholastic

In 1960 Bridges became the first black student to enroll in William Frantz Public School in New Orleans. Published in 1999, her memoir is an important retelling of one of the most visible symbols of the civil rights movement.

9. A Voice From the South, by Anna Julia Cooper

Amazon

First published in 1892, A Voice From the South is considered one of the first texts of the black feminist movement.